Laysla De Oliveira on Cruz’s Lesbian Love Story in ‘Lioness’ Season 3
And what the future may or may not hold for Bobby according to actress and executive producer Jill Wagner.
Season three of Lioness has not lost one bit of its intensity, and thankfully for sapphic fans of the series, none of its lesbian cred either. This season sees Team Lioness facing off against enemies in two new theaters of war: Ukraine and, frighteningly, here at home. But between the nail-biting action and plot twists, one thing remains constant: the queer women at the heart of the series, in particular Cruz (Laysla De Oliveira), Josephina (Genesis Rodriguez), and the enigmatic, tough-as-nails Bobby (Jill Wagner).
Between the battles and the subterfuge, this season sees Cruz in an entirely new and exciting position: in love with none other than her season two colleague, who began as a (very complicated) colleague. This time around, things between the two are not only passionate, but loving. And this offered De Oliveira an exciting new challenge this season.
“I was really excited to do it because I want to show that part of Cruz, and also I’m excited for the fans to see that part too because she’s so deserving of love, and I think that’s all she’s ever wanted,” De Oliveira tells GO Magazine. “The thing with Josie is that there’s such a personal, comfortable relationship there. So there’ll be a lot of jokes and banter and laughter that we really haven’t seen Cruz do yet. So it was really challenging, but also beautiful to explore.”
While Cruz may be opening up in new ways, the question remains: will we see a similar arc for Bobby? Even De Oliveira agrees, “everybody wants a girlfriend for Bobby!”
But for those hoping for Bobby to find a girlfriend, Wagner says that won’t be happening anytime soon for a specific reason. “I talked to [Lioness creator] Taylor [Sheridan] about this, and we both are kind of on the same side, whether it be good or bad for the fans,” Wagner tells GO. “He did say, he said, ‘Look, once someone—you show that they’re in a relationship, there’s a crack in the armor. There is a vulnerability.’ And he was like, ‘Bobby is a machine. She must remain a machine.”
Ultimately, Wagner agreed; she sees the value in keeping Bobby mysterious. “There’s this danger [when she remains mysterious]. And she—I don’t know—I like to believe that maybe she’s like knitting on a Sunday or something,” says Wagner.
Although her character almost went in a very different (and hetero) direction last season. “I don’t think anybody knows this,” teases Wagner. “[Taylor] actually wrote himself into last season. He was going to be my ex-husband… we were going to have to do the whole season together… but Taylor got pulled away… so we had to edit it.”
But Cruz won’t be kissing boys anytime soon, assures De Oliveira. “Don’t worry. Cruz will be out there loving.”
